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Karl Heinrich Marx is Born
On May 5, 1818 Karl Marx was born to Heinrich and Henrietta Marx in Trier, Prussia. They were Jewish and of rabbinical descent, but due to laws discriminating against Jews his parents converted to Christianity. Karl Marx would go on to become an incredibly influential and controversial writer and philosopher. His philosophy and works would become the foundation for communism ("Karl Marx Biography.com"). -
Beethoven's 9th Symphony Premiers
The legendary 9th symphony of German composer Ludwig von Beethoven premiered in the Theater am Kärntnertor in Vienna, Austria. This was Beethoven's final symphony and is often regarded as the pinnacle of his career. The 9th symphony was such an influence on the musical community that many composers feared to produce more than 9 symphonies. The final movement's Ode to Joy stands as possibly the best known piece of classical music ("Ludwig von Beethoven", 4). -
The Book of Mormon is published
The book of Mormon, a holy book for the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints was published in Palmyra, New York by Joseph Smith. It is a defining piece of scripture in the Mormon Religion and helped the religion gain followers. The increase in membership in the Mormon church led to religious conflict and the Mormon migration to Utah (Grun, 391). -
Enrolled at University of Berlin
In 1836, Karl Marx enrolled in the University of Berlin to become a lawyer, like his father. Although he studied law, Karl was more interested in philosophy. During his time at the university of Berlin he became involved with the young Hegelians, an radical organization that debated the philosophy of Hegel and pushed for reform. This may have been the beginning of his far left ideology ("Karl Marx Biography.com"). -
Karl Marx Meets Friedrich Engels
Karl Marx met his lifelong friend and collaborator Friederich Engels in Paris, France. They would go on to collaborate on many works including the communist manifesto, and Engels would provide Marx with financial support throughout his life. They worked together to spread socialism and communism throughout Europe (Saul, 229). -
First Telegraph Message Sent
Samuel Morse sent out the first telegraph message, "What hath god wrought " on his invention. When he tapped out the message in morse code it was transferred to an electrical signal sent along a wire to the receiver. The telegraph would revolutionize communication and have an important effect on many world events.(Grun, 397) -
Communist Correspondence Committee Formed
Karl Marx formed the communist correspondence committee as an attempt to consolidate the socialists of different countries. The committee was based in Brussels and organized communication between socialist groups throughout Europe. The Communist Correspondence committee would eventually become the communist league (Saul, 230). -
California Gold Rush Begins
The California gold rush began when gold was found at Sutter's mill in California. Thousands of people from around the would would journey to California in hopes of striking it rich. The flood of immigrants would cause California's cities to experience a population boom and increase the diversity of the region (Grun, 392). -
Communist Manifesto is Published
At the request of the Communist League, Marx and Engel wrote "The Manifesto for the Communist Party". The manifesto summarized the views of the party, described Marx's theory of materialist history and ended with the call to arms, "The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains, workers of the world unite" The importance of this work cannot be overstated as it led to the Russian Revolution and the Soviet domination of half the world (Saul, 230). -
American Civil War Begins
The American Civil War began when confederate forces under the command of Gen. P. G. T. Beauregard attacked Union fort Sumter. The attack took place before reinforcements could arrive and the fort fell after 2 days. The Civil war was the deadliest conflict in american history and led to the abolition of slavery in the U.S. (Grun, 393) -
Founded First International Workingman's Association
The International workingman's association was founded to connect various communist and anarchist groups focused on the workers' rebellion. There was conflict within the group between the communist and anarchist factions and the first international eventually fractured into two groups. The group was a vocal activist for worker's rights and revolutionary socialism (Saul, 231). -
Das Kapital is published
After years of research and work Marx published volume one of Das Kapital, Kritik der politischen Ökonomie (Capital, Critique of Political Economy). The book presented Marx's explanation of economics, that the basic unit of an economy is the labor of the working class, and that such an economy tends towards collapse into a communist revolution. Marx only finished one volume of Das Kapital, and the otherr two were completed based on his notes by Frederick Engels. -
Electric Lightbulb Patented
Thomas Edison Patented his carbonized filament incandescent light bulb on 11/4. The invention of an efficient light bulb began to allow life to continue into the night. The Light bulb also created a need for an electrical grid to distribute power to residents (Matulka and Wood, "History of the Lightbulb"). -
Death
Karl Marx died of pleurisy in London. Despite his communist beliefs Karl Marx was buried in a private graveyard plot he purchased. His death robbed the world of one of it's great philosophers and prevented him from finishing volumes 2 and 3 of Das Kapital (Karl Marx Biography.com). -
The German Ideology Published
The German Ideology and other manuscripts by Marx and Engel which they were unable to publish where posthumously published by David Riazanov. The writings contained many satirical writings against young Hegelians with which Marx and Engel disagreed. The German Ideology is the last of Marx's works to be published and shows some of his early ideas. (Saul, Coin) -
Monument Erected at Marx's Grave
English Socialists erected a monument to the founder of modern communism. The imposing monument opened in a ceremony attended by his surviving descendants as well as representatives from the Soviet Union and satellite states. The ceremony celebrated the life of the legendary philosopher and replaced his unmarked stone with a plinth and bust bearing the quote "Workers of the World Unite"("Marx Monument Unveiled in Highgate Cemetery").
